Women's Groups 2013 - Union of Australian Women—WA Branch

Page 62 of 97

Union of Australian Women—WA Branch

Purpose of the group

The Union of Australian Women (UAW) was formed from a group called the New Housewives Association, affiliated with the Women’s International Democratic Federation. The group’s main areas of concern were world peace, prices and women and children’s rights.

Early UAW meetings in WA included craft lessons as a way of attracting women who did not have a specific interest in politics. Through craft classes, women were encouraged to consider how political issues touched all aspects of their lives, whether it was high food prices, lack of school buses or crowded school rooms. Women started participating in marches and signing petitions to protest against these and other issues. The union also petitioned for the rights of indigenous Australians.

The need for affordable child care was a major UAW issue and members were supportive of a campaign by the Women's Committee of the Waterside Workers Federation to establish a crèche in the Fremantle area.

UAW groups were established in many Perth suburbs including Tuart Hill, Applecross-Mount Pleasant, Guildford-Midland, Fremantle and Collie in the country.

Time period

The UAW was established in 1950 in Sydney and a WA branch was formed the same year. The WA branch received assets from the Modern Women’s Club, which had been operating in WA since 1938 but ceased in the early 1950s.

Key achievements

The UAW first published its magazine, Our Women, in 1953 and it was distributed across Australia and overseas. The magazine covered women’s rights, the struggle for a better standard of living, problems faced by migrant women and efforts for a peaceful world. The magazine was sold at many events as a way of raising awareness about the UAW and gaining support for activities and issues important to the group.

The UAW worked on joint committees to organise events for International Women’s Day.

Following the deaths of two premature babies due to lack of air-conditioning at King Edward Memorial Hospital during the hot summer of 1954, the UAW lobbied for temporary coolers until permanent air-conditioning could be installed. Several heavily pregnant members attended the Public Works Department, causing male staff members much consternation—but it ultimately achieved the aim of having cooling equipment installed before the next summer.